Saving Money and Weekly Update–November 4, 2017

Rob got the garden tilled around all the winter veggies in between rain storms! I am so delighted. I did not think he was going to be able to do it, but Monday night, when I came home from work……there it was! It’s been pouring ever since! Now, we are going to spread the compost pile over it, and keep throwing scraps and weeds on it, and he will till all that in in the spring, when it has rotted a bit. He also is going to build a compost bin system for me like I had at the old house. Then, I will be able to hide it while it decomposes. He used old, free pallets last time. We shall see what he does this time.

Today was Patsy’s day. I had been feeling that she needed some time from me, and today was the day. We went to the mall. Twice. We smelled every single scent, and some twice, (it felt like) at Bath and Body Works. Two times. We used a coupon I had, and bought something I wanted from some money I had saved from my birthday. We both tried on clearance clothing at Macy’s. She got 2 tops and a dress she needed. I got a top I wanted. We got great prices. We went to JoAnn’s and she used a gift card she had been saving from her birthday. (That was in June. We don’t go shopping much, except for groceries). The 2nd mall had a photo opportunity set up and I took her picture for free. On the back side of this display, there was one for Halloween pictures. It was nice they offered both. We got some socks we had been searching for that are for a little friend of ours. We shared a nacho and a dish of ice cream at the food court. The items we bought were few. It all fit in one bag. I’m hoping the memory is large, and long-lasting. It was a fun day.

Then, we went to Fred Meyers and got groceries. They had a LOT of things on sale for $1/each. We got 1/2 gallons of milk. We got packages of cookies. We got a cake mix. All for $1/each. We even got a few things for 50c, like broth. I only bought 4 of those, since I have quite a bit and make my own most of the time. Occasionally, I do need a small can for a food drive, taking with me on a trip, etc. I got the rice mix for the Friday Freebie, along with last week’s caffeine-filled soda drink. I can’t eat the rice mix (wheat) so will take it to church for the monthly food drive. It will be good food for someone.

On Friday, my sister, Rosalie, Ja’Ana and myself went to see Harnet and Danait. It was CRAZY busy there! Harnet had the day (and us) really organized! Harnet had a citizenship tutor coming to work with her, and we were the “keep Danait busy” crew so Mama could study. So, her Harnet had it set up for her to go to toddler storytime at a nearby library and we took her. Then, we took her to McDonald’s and used my buy one, get one free Happy Meal coupon from the app. Rosalie and I didn’t eat there, except for snitching a few fries, but the girls did. After that, we went back to Harnet’s and ate lunch. She had cooked one dish that contained greens (maybe collards?), rice, and lentils. There was injera bread for those who could have it. The tutor stayed for lunch, too, and we all had a nice chat. Of course, we had coffee before we went, during lunch, and after the all the others left. After while, another lady showed up. She is someone who helps Harnet with things like phone calls, appointments, etc. I’m not exactly which group/agency she comes from, but Harnet was glad to have the appointment with her, and I can see why. She is very knowledgable about how different agencies work, and how to access them. We chatted and talked with her, too. Harnet fed her lunch, too, and we all had coffee again.

Ja’Ana and the tutor tried to set up an internet box that had been sent to Harnet so she can have wifi. JaAna and Miss Callie, the tutor, tried for about an hour, at which point Miss Val picked up her phone and set up a installer for next week. It didn’t work, but the effort was appreciated. In the meanwhile, Danait was having a lot of fun playing hide and seek with Rosalie a lot, and me a little. Her favorite place to hide was in an empty box. She had so much fun. After both ladies left, Rosalie and Ja’Ana took Danait back to the library because they had not chosen any books earlier. This is because Harnet wanted me to study with her and work on homework. We worked on it for almost 2 hours, so they returned before we were done. At least we finished, so she can relax this weekend. We put more appointments, times to get together, etc. on the calandar. I was excited to show her the post about coffee-making and she liked it. There is one thing I will fix in the post.

Again, this week, I was able to enjoy many things for absolutely free.

I enjoyed the fall colors.

I enjoyed making soup and muffins during the cooler weather.

I was glad to have a nice, warm fire in the wood stove this week.

The trees are changing into deeper red, yellows, then turn bare. It won’t be long until these branches are bare. It was a busy week, but a good one.

I’m sure Patsy enjoyed her day spent with you. And it is lovely to see how everyone is helping Harnet. I wonder if the citizenship test has changed much since I took it (more than 25 years ago). I believe there are test questions on-line, etc., that she might be able to access to test her knowledge.

How nice to have the garden all tilled and ready to prepare for planting again, in the spring. I am wondering whether to put in a fall/winter garden – I have some old seeds for cool weather crops (carrots, lettuce, beets, snow peas, etc.) Don’t know how old the seeds are, but, I suppose even if a few seeds germinate, it’ll be lovely.

Your photographs of the fall colors are lovely. My first thought on seeing them was, “They’d make great jigsaw puzzles!” 😀

Harnet’s tutor gave her little flash cards with questions on the front and answers on the back. She studies them frequently. That’s what I used the day I studied with her. There are 100 questions. I believe she will be asked only a few of those, but they don’t tell her which ones, so she has to study them all.

If you can grow a fall/winter garden, and you have the seeds, it sounds like you have nothing to lose, but a little time and energy! I guess that would be the thing….how much energy you have! I really enjoy gardening, so it’s a fun hobby for me–not drudgery, which helps me stay motivated.

I just pick them as I need them. They hold for quite a while in the garden. If I think they are going to get ruined, I just put them into plastic bags (like from the grocery store) and put them in the fridge. Right now, the only extra fridge I have is the camper one, so there isn’t as much room as I used to have. So, I took coleslaw to family Sunday dinner yesterday and will take it again this coming week. I will try to use up as much as I can so there aren’t too many to store.

I am so glad you and Patsy got some special one on one time. It is important for each of our kids to have that kind of time with us. 🙂 Your family just amazes me with all you do for others. You all have the biggest and most loving hearts!

Thank you for the kind words. It’s so hard for me to carve out that one-to-one time that I feel I fall short in that area. But, this time I did, and I’m glad. The price I paid was not getting any Saturday chores done, but I figure no one will die from a dirty bathroom…..there’s always next Saturday:)

A girls day out is always fun. I’m with you on Halloween, focusing on the fun and light. I’ve never really gotten the dark and the gore part of it. Despite a very busy sounding week, it looks like you ate well. It’s getting to feel like soup weather here as well.

I’m back on the soup wagon again! I made some potato soup today. It was delicious. My hubby has a bad cold, and more soup was in order, and it also turned very cold outside. I’ll have to check the fridge and see if there’s any left for tomorrow!